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Turkish Press Review, 98-10-26
From: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs <http://www.mfa.gov.tr>
26.10.98
Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning
CONTENTS
[01] MILLIONS MARCH FOR THE REPUBLIC
[02] TEKEL TO PRODUCE CUBAN CIGARS
[03] BUDGET DISCUSSIONS TO BEGIN THIS WEEK
[04] COUNTDOWN FOR BOSPHORUS SECURITY SYSTEM
[05] AWAITING BULGARIAN PRIME MINISTER
[06] CLUB ALDA HOLIDAY VILLAGE WINS AWARD
[07] DRUG OPERATION IN VAN
[08] BOND SALE IN US DOLLARS FROM TREASURY
[09] STRAITS PROPOSAL FROM WORLD BANK
[10] GREEK JETS VIOLATE TRNC AIRSPACE
[11] FIRST CONTACT WITH LEBANON ON PKK
[12] DESK ON SOLEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT IN CHICAGO
[13] WORLD BANK PRAISES TURKISH EDUCATION
[14] ISTANBUL BAR ELECTS ITS NEW CHAIRMAN
[15] "EUROPEAN UNION VIEWS TURKEY AS A CANDIDATE STATE"
[16] TWO SOLDIERS KILLED IN MARDIN
[01] MILLIONS MARCH FOR THE REPUBLIC
A Republican March was carried out across Turkey yesterday as
part of the activities commemorating the founding of the Republic
of Turkey. Millions demonstrated their loyalty to the nation in
marches that started at 10 a.m. in cities across the country, the
Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.
Ankara's Republican March made its way from the old stadium to
Anitkabir, Ataturk's Mausoleum, with marchers chanting the
slogan, "Marching for the Republic". Citizens of all ages,
gathering for the walk early in the morning, were joined by State
Minister Yucel Seckiner, State Minister Salih Yildirim, Deputy
Chief of General Staff Gen.Hilmi Ozkok, Chief of Police Necati
Bilican, Ankara Governor Erdogan Sahinoglu and Ankara Mayor Melih
Gokcek, along with several deputies and representatives from the
judiciary.
[02] TEKEL TO PRODUCE CUBAN CIGARS
The Tekel General Directorate has accelerated its project to
produce cigars in conjunction with Cuba. Mehmet Akbay, general
director of Tekel, explained to the Anatolia news agency that the
Turkey-Cuba Joint Economic Commission had signed an agreement at
its meeting in 1997. In accord with the agreement, two experts
have come from Cuba to investigate the possibility of producing
cigars from Turkish and Cuban tobacco. The experts have examined
land in Rize, Pazar, Trabzon's Akcaabat district, Ceyhan and
Adana and have decided that these areas are suitable for cigar
tobacco agriculture.
Akbay announced that following the approval of the Supreme
Planning Board, they will start a company with $3 million paid-up
capital called "TEKA". Tekel's share in the company will be
$1,350,000, Akbay added.
[03] BUDGET DISCUSSIONS TO BEGIN THIS WEEK
Budget discussions will begin after Finance Minister Zekeriya
Temizel presents a budget plan prepared by the Finance Ministry
for the 1998-1999 fiscal year to the Parliamentary Planning and
Budget Commission. The discussions will take one-and-half-months.
President Suleyman Demirel will accept good wishes for the 75th
anniversary of the foundation of the Republic in Parliament on
Thursday. On the same day, Parliament Speaker Hikmet Cetin will
give a banquet in honour of 16 foreign heads of state. /All
papers/
[04] COUNTDOWN FOR BOSPHORUS SECURITY SYSTEM
Bidding for a "Fully-automatic Computerized Ship Traffic Control"
system that will provide security of passage from Istanbul and
the Canakkale Straits will take place in November. Construction,
due to start in the first months of 1999, will cost $40 million
and is scheduled to begin operation by the end of 2000. The
system will balance, direct and control traffic, organize flow
and decrease the risk of accidents in the Turkish Straits.
/Cumhuriyet/
[05] AWAITING BULGARIAN PRIME MINISTER
Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov will travel to Bursa with
Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz on November 6. Kostov and
Yilmaz will sign an agreement solving the "pension sufferring" of
150,000 retired ethnic Turks from Bulgaria now living in Turkey.
[06] CLUB ALDA HOLIDAY VILLAGE WINS AWARD
The International Hotels and Restaurants Association (IHRA) has
awarded the 1998 Environmental Award to Club Alda Holiday Village
in Beldibi, Antalya. The IHRA, which holds an important place in
the tourism sector and to which many internationally renowned
hotels are members, presented the award to Dr.Ibrahim Birkan,
general director of Aspen Tourism A.S. during its 36th Annual
Congress in Manila on October 25. /All papers/
[07] DRUG OPERATION IN VAN
During an operation carried out by members of the Department for
the Struggle Against Smuggling and Organized Crime at the
Security Office in Van, 26.4 kilograms of unadulterated heroin,
the market value of which totals TL 80 billion, was seized
yesterday, the Anatolia news agency reports. Twelve people were
taken into custody regarding the incident.
[08] BOND SALE IN US DOLLARS FROM TREASURY
The Treasury will offer one-year term state bonds in US dollars
to the public today. The repayment of the bonds will be realized
on October 26, 1999. /Hurriyet/
[09] STRAITS PROPOSAL FROM WORLD BANK
World Bank representative in Turkey Chhibber criticizes the
foreign companies which want to transport Caspian oil through
Turkish Straits. Chhibber has noted that the pressure on the
Straits will create a serious environmental problem. Chhibber,
who also carries out projects on environmental problems in Black
Sea, said: "If Turkey wants, the World Bank can prepare a report
on the Straits, which examines tanker traffic and its risks".
/Hurriyet/
[10] GREEK JETS VIOLATE TRNC AIRSPACE
Greek war planes participating in the parade during the joint
Greek-Greek Cypriot Nikiforos maneuvers violated the airspace of
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). TRNC officials
protested the incident to the United Nations Peace Force and
other concerned organizations. TRNC Defense and Foreign Minister
Taner Etkin stated that Greeks and Greek Cypriots were playing
with fire by their provocations. /Milliyet/
[11] FIRST CONTACT WITH LEBANON ON PKK
Damascus is taking concrete steps to implement a protocol signed
between Turkey and Syria to end the support given to the PKK.
Immediately following the signing of the protocol envisaging a
meeting between Turkey, Syria and Lebanon, the Lebanese
Government got in touch with Turkey. According to the protocol
signed between Turkish and Syrian security officials, the two
sides decided to take up the battle against the PKK within a
tripartite framework. /Milliyet/
[12] DESK ON SOLEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT IN CHICAGO
A desk on Soleiman the Magnificent in the Chicago University was
officially opened yesterday. Officials from the Turkish Chicago
consulate and Turks who contributed to the opening of the
department attended the ceremony. At the Magnificent Soleiman
desk, in the Middle Eastern Sciences Department of the University
courses on modern Turkey, Ottoman history, Turkish and Ottoman
languages are given. /Milliyet/
[13] WORLD BANK PRAISES TURKISH EDUCATION
Vice President of the World Bank, Joseph Stiglitz said that
eight-year uninterrupted primary education reform would
contribute to the economic development of Turkey. Speaking at a
seminar to promote the 1998-1999 World Development report,
Stiglitz said that knowledge was very important for the
development of states and that Turkey was very determined to
improve its educational system. /Hurriyet/
[14] ISTANBUL BAR ELECTS ITS NEW CHAIRMAN
There was an election yesterday at the Istanbul Bar, which is the
biggest bar of Turkey and the third in the world. At the end of
the elections Yucel Sayman was elected for the second time to the
post of chairman of the Istanbul Bar. Sayman received 2,641 votes
out of almost 7,000 votes. /Hurriyet/
[15] "EUROPEAN UNION VIEWS TURKEY AS A CANDIDATE STATE"
State Minister Isin Celebi said that the European Union (EU)
decided to improve its relations with Turkey and that it did not
overview the huge potential of Turkish economy within the scope
of its enlargement strategy. Attending a joint meeting of the
ministers of the candidate states in Brussels, Celebi said: "The
EU accepted Turkey as one of the 12 candidate states but not as
the twelfth of the candidates." Celebi noted that Turkey's
present foreign trade volume gave Turkey priority among other
candidates. /Sabah/
[16] TWO SOLDIERS KILLED IN MARDIN
At the end of the clashes between separatist terrorists and
security forces of Mardin Security Command two soldiers were
killed in mountainous region of Mardin. According to the military
sources wide scope operation had already been started to seize
the terrorists. /Sabah/
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